


You aren’t the only one life was hard on, Chloe

by orphan_account



Series: Unexpected Reunion [1]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Domestic Violence, F/F, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Recreational Drug Use, Self-Harm, i still suck at tagging, unexpected reunion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-05-20 17:32:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19381450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When William died, Max had to leave Arcadia Bay and Chloe believed she had abandoned her.When she finds out about Rachel and Frank, she runs away, deeply hurt.She finds someone she’d thought she’d never see again.





	1. Confrontation with the past

**Author's Note:**

> Yea... so, it seems like I deleted the old version of this during one of my... most recent mental breakdowns.
> 
> I tried to work some of the feedback I had gotten for the first few chapters into this.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

**September 29, 2012; 2:15pm; I-5 north of Vancouver, WA**

_ˋFuck‘em! Fuck‘em all! And fuck this lying bitch the most!´_ **  
**

The bluenette‘s thoughts were running wild as she gunned her trusted truck down the Interstate.

She had no certain place to go to in mind, only thought was there that had overtaken her whole thinking:

_ˋI just want to get away from this shithole of a town. Nothing but assholes and lying snakes there!´_

Chloe‘s world had been turned upside down once again by the discovery she had made earlier that day:  _ˋWhy? Why the fuck would she do that to me? You know what, fuck her!´_

Angrily she hit onto the steering wheel with her fist, causing her truck to emit a loud ˋHonk!´. “Fuck!“ she exclaimed, trying to calm herself down again.

—————————————

  **September 29, 2012; 10:30am; Beach of Arcadia Bay, OR**

The bluenette was not exactly happy as she approached Frank‘s RV.

_ˋFucking stupid drama class! I just wanted to hang out with Rachel today, but of course she forgot to tell me about a fucking show. Damn, I need some to cool down.‘_

With force, she knocked on the dusty vehicle‘s door.

“Yeah, yeah, I‘m comin‘!“ Frank yelled from the inside. A few seconds later, he opened the door, and immediately a scowl appeared on his face: “Price! The fuck do you want?!“

“Always a pleasure to see you, Frank. What do you think I want? The same as always.“

“You still owe me some money. Why should I give you an before you pay me back?“

Chloe was just about to give the drug-dealer another snarky reply, but suddenly another voice called from inside the RV: “Frank? What the hell is going on?“ Moments later, a blonde appeared behind Frank. A blonde Chloe was very familiar with. A blonde who was only wearing a bra and her panties:  _ˋRACHEL?!´_

Chloe‘s thoughts has come to a screeching stop. But only for a second. After that, the feeling of rage, anger and, above all, betrayal overtook her mind: “Are you fucking kidding me, Rachel?!“ she shouted.

“Hey, blue-“ Rachel started, but was cut off by the raging bluenette: “Don’t you dare ‘hey blue‘ me, you lying bitch! You told me you didn’t have any time for me because you had a fucking show with your fucking drama class! But of course that was a lie! Fuck you, Amber, just fuck you!“

With these words, and two raised middle-fingers directed at the blonde, Chloe stormed off, got into her truck and drove away, leaving a wave of dust behind.

—————————————

**September 29, 2012; 5:45 pm; Lakewood Park, Seattle, WA**

After another few hours of anger-fueled driving, Chloe found herself near a park in the south-eastern suburbs of Seattle. Her crave for tobacco, which she had tried to satisfy during her drive with some cigarettes, rose once again. So, she pulled over next to the park‘s entrance and killed her truck‘s engine.

“Fuck, I need a smoke!“ she exclaimed to no one before she stepped out of the truck with a pack of cigarettes and a lighter in her hands.

When she entered the park, she spotted the lake and immediately made a bed-line towards it. Looking around, mustering the little forest around the lake, glistening in the late afternoon sun, a thought came to her mind: _Max would love this. She’d just want to sit down at the lake and take a bunch of fucking photos. Max. Another person that fucked me over. Ah! Fuck this! Why do I even still think of her?´_

Frustrated, Chloe kicked the ground before settling down on a bench near the lake. She fished a cigarette out of the pack and brought it to her lips. However, when she tried to light it, nothing happened. “Come on, stupid thing!“ she tried to encourage it, but even after another few tries, the result remained the same: no fire, no smoke. “Ah, fuck it!“ the bluenette exclaimed, threw the lighter away and got up from the bench. She began to wander around the pond.

It didn’t take long before she spotted someone laying in the grass close to the lake, seemingly smoking. _ˋScore!´_  Chloe thought, _ˋthey might have a lighter and be enough of a decent human being to share it!´_

When she got closer, she could make out more details of the person. It was a rather small girl, maybe 14 or 15 years old, with a freckled face and deep red-dyed hair, wearing a white tank top with some band logo and ripped black jeans.

 _ˋDamn, a bit she reminds me of... nope, not gonna go there now. Get lighter, get smoke.´_ When she was only a few feet away, Chloe could smell what exactly the girl was smoking, and it definitely wasn’t a cigarette. _ˋGod praise the state of Washington. Can’t wait for these fuckers in Oregon to legalize it. No more dealing with Frank. Might take a bit of the fun away though. Ah, what am I thinking? Toking it up is always gonna be awesome.´_

“Hey, can I borrow your lighter?“ she asked. The girl didn’t react.

“Dude, can I borrow your lighter?“ Chloe repeated, getting a bit agitated.

“You want to borrow my lighter?“ the girl asked in a cold, emotionless voice that seemed way too familiar to Chloe. “Sure. Why the fuck not? Take my lighter. You’ve already taken my whole life away. What’s one stupid lighter on top of that?!“

“What the f-“ Chloe started, but suddenly it dawned on her: “MAX?!“ she almost screamed.

“Jeez, Price, the fuck is wrong with you? Yes, it’s Max. Remember me? The girl you broke and whose life you ruined four years ago.“

“What the fuck are you talking about?! You abandoned me! You never called me! If anybody has ruined anybody‘s life, you have ruined mine!“

Max shot up to her feet with insane speed. She stepped in front of Chloe and stabbed her finger into the older girl‘s chest, right above the three bullets of her necklace: “You know what, Chloe?! FUCK YOU! Do you have any idea how much you hurt me that day?! Do you? Huh, DO YOU?!“ Max screamed at her, a storm of anger, pain and sadness in her eyes, repeatedly stabbing Chloe‘s chest.

“The hell are you talking ab-“ Chloe started, but then the memory of that fateful, terrible day came crashing into her mind.

———————————

**September 28, 2008; 10:00am; 44 Cedar Avenue, Arcadia Bay, OR**

The blonde‘s heart was in shatters. Max, her best friend, her first mate, would love her, just days after her dad died. When this realization came crashing down on her yet again, she flung herself onto her bed, his her face in the pillow, already stained with tears she’d by both of them, and sobbed into it.

“W-Why Max? W-Why d-do you have t-to go?“

She thought back to the day before yesterday. They had been supposed to clean up her room, but instead they ended up playing pirates again, re-visiting something that had dominated a large part of their childhoods together.

Because of her sobbing, she didn’t hear how her room‘s door opened again.

“C-Chloe?“ Max whispered. When she got no answer, the brunette entered the room and closed the door behind her.

Her heart ached when she saw the girl on the bed, the girl she loved more than anything else in this world, in so much pain.

She moved to the bed and put her arms around the blonde, Chloe burying her face in the crook of Max‘s neck and sobbing into it.

“W-Why Max? Why?“ Max didn’t need anything else to understand what this was about. She stroked Chloe‘s back, her own eyes getting wet too: “I-I‘m so sorry, Chloe. I tried, but they wouldn‘t change their mind or let me stay here. I‘m sorry, Chlo. I-“

Max was interrupted by Chloe removing her head from her neck and staring at her with her face twisted with anger: “FUCK YOU MAX! I bet you didn’t even really try. Why don’t you just get the fuck gone?!“

Beyond shocked, Max tried to reply: “No, Chlo! I-“, but the blonde didn’t let her finish a single sentence, shouting: “I told you to get out of my room!“ And then Chloe‘s voice became completely emotionless: “You are dead to me, Max.“

“What?!“ But Chloe pushed Max onto the floor outside her room and shut the door.


	2. Emotional Chaos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2. Also a re-write from the old version.
> 
> I hope you enjoy.
> 
> P.S.: When they’re working and on time, ICEs are awesome!

  **TW: mention of suicide and self-harm**

**September 29, 2012; 6:15 pm; Lakewood Park, Seattle, WA**

“Ah, veeeery good. I see you recall that day.“ Max said in a deeply sarcastic voice.

“Max, I-“ the older girl started, but this time it was Max who cut her short, the red-head hissing at her, their faces only inches apart, so that Chloe could see the emotions running wild in her eyes: “I was going to tell you that I love you, Chloe! As more than just a best friend! I was going to tell you just how fucking much you meant to me! But then, what did you do? YOU BROKE ME!“

Chloe‘s emotions were starting to become deeply confusing. While the anger she had felt at Max these four years, the feelings of betrayal and abandonment, were still there, there were also feelings that she had believed to be gone, fighting their way to the forefront of her mind: the connection she had had with Max. Their friendship, and, if she was honest to herself, the love she had felt for Max. All this was coming back in full force. Given their close proximity in this moment, there was nothing Chloe wanted more than to kiss the girl she had thought she had lost forever.

_ˋThe fuck is this? Damn, this shit is way too confusing for me. I hella need-´_

“Got nothing to say to that, Price, huh? Figures. Screw you, Chloe. Bye.“ With these words, Max turned away and left a stunned Chloe behind.

_ˋWhat the fucking hell has just happened?! When I got here, I was hella pissed at Rachel, at Max, at everything. Now, there are these feeling about her that have come back. And there‘s this voice in my head, telling me that, maybe, everything hasn’t been her fault. Ugh, damn it. I can’t deal with all this mushy shit right now. I really need a lighter to get my smoke going.´_

The bluenette started to walk away, but stopped when she felt something under her boot: “The fuck is this?!“

When she lifted her foot, she saw what had made her stop: a lighter. Max‘s lighter.

_ˋDid she leave it here? I wonder if, and why. Well, screw that. I need my smoke.´_

_———————————_

**September 29, 2012; 6:45 pm; 1119 SW 112th Street, Seattle, WA**

_ˋPlease. Let her be downstairs, and be not drunk.´_ , Max thought as she climbed the maple tree in the garden of her family‘s house. When she reached the branch ending closest to her room‘s window, she peeked inside: _ˋOk. She isn’t in there. So, chances aren’t that bad. Let’s do this.´_

As she had done it dozens of times before, she slowly reached for the edge of the window shell and let herself lightly fall onto the roof underneath her window. Then, she opened the window and quickly climbed into her room, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Just as she turned towards her room, having closed the window behind her, her room‘s door was ripped open. Vanessa Caulfield stormed through it, a mostly-empty bottle of whiskey in one hand, clearly very drunk.

“Where have you been?!“ she shouted at her daughter.

“Mom, I was just-“ Max started, but was cut short by Vanessa slapping her.

“Cut this bullshit. I told you you will tell me before you go anywhere. Now you‘ll stay here and think about what a stupid, worthless idiot you are!“ With these words, Vanessa turned around and left the room, slamming the door in the process.

Max slumped onto the floor, curling into a ball, sobbing quietly.

_ˋThe sams shit, every day. Dad is never here, and Vanessa... why does she do this? What have I done to deserve thís?´_

Max felt the dark thoughts creeping into her mind again. The thoughts that had been there since she had been forced to leave Arcadia Bay and Chloe. The thoughts that tried to convince her that her whole existence was pointless and that ending it would do her and the world a favor. Her eyes wandered to the inside of her left wrist and arm, that were adorned by many scars, proof of her fight against the thoughts, and that she wasn’t winning every time.

_ˋFuck you!´_ Max internally screamed at them, _ˋyou aren‘t winning today.´_

Shaking herself, she got up from the floor and went to the window, opened it and went back outside. She climbed into the top of the maple tree and laid down on a branch, taking another joint from her pocket and lighting it up.

_ˋThis fucking City has taken everything, my whole life, away from me. It destroyed my... friendship with Chloe, my family has turned into a constant shitshow since moving here, and the rest of my life isn’t any better. And what the fucking fuck was that today? How could she even dare to say that I had abandoned her? She told me to get the fuck gone. And, although it hurt so fucking much, I fulfilled her wish. Because I loved her - who am I kidding, I still do. But these years apart were painful. Every single day without her hurt.´_

Again, tears began to leak out of her eyes and made their way down her cheeks. Her eyes started to grow heavy from this emotionally chaotic day, and just a few minutes later she was fast asleep in the top of the maple tree.

——————————

**September 29, 2012; 9:30 pm; SW 112th Street, Seattle, WA**

Chloe felt... weird and confused. That was probably the best way to sum it up. Her encounter with her former best friend and first mate had left her in emotional turmoil. So, after finishing her smoke in the park and getting back into her truck, she had spent the next few hours slowly driving through the surrounding streets, trying to sort out her mind.

She was so deep in thought that she didn’t notice that her truck was slowly moving onto the wrong lane, and right towards a driveway, more precisely a family-sized SUV in it.

“SHIT!“ she exclaimed before stomping onto the brakes and bringing her truck to a screeching stop mere inches from the other vehicle. “Jeez. That was close. Gotta stay awake, Price.“ she said to herself before she stepped out of her truck. She leaned against the driver‘s side door and lit up another cigarette.

_ˋOk. Need to figure out where to sleep tonight. I mean, I could always sleep in the back of Callamastia, but it might get a bit cold for that. Fucking A, man. I wonder if there is any -“_

Suddenly, she heard some rustling from above her, and a voice calling: “The fuck?!“, followed by some murmur: “Are you cereal? I fell asleep up here again? Ugh. Damn, I hope Vanessa has passed out from all the alcohol by now. Wait. What has woken me up?“

Then a head peeked out from the top of the tree above Chloe, and the voice, whose owner Chloe has just successfully identified, exclaimed, loud enough to hear even a few blocks away: ARE YOU FUCKING CEREAL?! THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE, PRICE?!“


	3. Sleeping arrangements

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last one I had written in the old version.  
> This one got some larger changes though, I got an idea I really like. Turned out a bit shorter, but otherwise I would have had to put the rest of my idea into this one, and then it probably would have gotten too long.

**September 29, 2012; 9:35 pm; 1119 SW 112th Street, Seattle, WA**

"ARE YOU FUCKING CEREAL?! THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE, PRICE?!“

Chloe was completely shocked: _ˋYou must be kidding me! YOU MUST BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!ˋ_

Annoyed by the obvious lack of a reaction from the shocked bluenette, Max climbed down the tree and stepped in front of Chloe, waving a hand in front of her face: “Helloooo?! Anyone in there?!“

Being woken from her shocked state, Chloe shook her head before replying: “Yeah, sorry.“

“So, Price, let me ask a third time as you’ve been so generous with answers before: The fuck are you doing here, Chloe?“

“Yeah, uh...“ Chloe started, scratching her neck with a slight blush on her face, “after our little... meeting earlier, I kinda drove around, and I may or may not have been somewhere else in my head and would have almost droven my truck into that fancy SUV over there.

Swifting her gaze to the truck in the driveway, Max quietly laughed to herself.

“Hey, what’s so funny, Caulfield?“

Trying to stop herself from laughing more, Max replied: “Nothing, nothing. Just... this rusty thing is yours? Where did you find it, in a junkyard?“

“As a matter of fact, yes, I did. Fixed it up myself, hasn’t let me down ever since. But, as you asked me, let me ask you a question: What were you doing up there in that tree?“

“Sleeping. Besides, this is my family‘s house. Seems like a natural place for me to be.“

“Uhhh... yeaaahhh...“ the bluenette stammered.

“Anyways, what are you doing in Seattle at all? I didn’t know you had left Arcadia Bay.“

“I haven’t, at least not yet. Earlier today I had found out I had been fucked over by a friend, so I had to get away, and somehow I ended up in that park from earlier.“

Max tried to stop herself, but a knowing grin crept onto her face: “And let me guess: You have no idea where you’re gonna sleep tonight, you absolutely don’t want to drive back to Arcadia Bay, and sleeping in your... truck is out of the question too. Am I close?“

An embarrassed blush from being caught crept onto Chloe‘s face: “Uhhh... no, no, I just....“ she stammered.

“Come on, don’t try this with me. Well, as I see it, it would be a shame to leave you out here, so, how about you grab your stuff and get in that tree?“

“Tree? Why that tree?“

Max chuckles to herself: “To climb into my room, you dork.“

Chloe‘s face became beet-red. She turned around abruptly and scrambled to her truck: “Thanks, but I-... I‘ll figure it out. Bye!“

With that, she slammed her truck‘s door shut and drove out of the Caulfield‘s driveway.

_ˋCute´,_ Max thought to herself, _ˋhow long do I give it until she comes back? Well, I‘ll just stay up there and chill until she does.´_

With these thoughts, and a smirk on her face, she made her way back to the top of the tree and laid down again.

————————————

**September 29, 2012; 11:15 pm; SW 112th Street, Seattle, WA**

Chloe sat in her truck, which she had parked some houses down the streets from the Caulfield‘s. Her attempts to find a place to sleep had remained fruit-less, and she felt herself growing frustrated, and tired.

_ˋFucking A, Price. Ugh. I guess I have no other choice. Cause she‘s right. Callamastia is too cold, and I haven’t found any other place. Ah, fuck it!´_

She shifted back into gear and drove the short distance to the Caulfield‘s house. She parked her truck at the side of the street and stepped out.

“Max?!“ she called out towards the tree she had seen the red-head come out of earlier.

“Ah, she has overcome her pride.“ Max exclaimed, “you got all your stuff?“

“Yeah“ the bluenette replied, “don’t have much with me besides myself.“

“Why am I not surprised?“, Max chuckled. “Alright, get up here.“

“Uhhh Max, why up there? Isn’t the front door like, right there?“ the older girl asked, pointing to the house‘s front door.

“Really? Thank you for pointing it out. I didn’t know that. Get your ass up here. Now.“

“Yeah, Yeah, bossy Max, I‘m comin“.

About halfway up, Chloe was out of breath: “Damn you, cigarettes. C‘mon Price. You got that.“ Mustering all her remaining power, the bluenette managed to reach the top of the tree, settling down besides Max. Max signaled her to wait. “What’s wrong?“ she asked, worried.

“Nothing. I just gotta check that there aren’t any unpleasant surprised waiting in there. You wait, I‘ll go first.“

With these words, Max climbed from the branch down onto the roof and through her window again, closing it behind her.

_´What does she mean with ‘unpleasant surprises?‘ Who could be in there besides her and her parents? And I mean, they were always pretty ok, so, what could be the problem?´_

Chloe was ripped out of her thoughts by a Little Rock hitting her against her head.

“What the f-“ she started, but stopped when she saw Max standing in her window, smirking at her.

“Nice to see you’re back with us. Now, get down there and in here.“

“Uhhh.... Max? Really?“ the bluenette replied, a bit of uncertainty and worry evident in her voice,

“Aw, come on. Don’t tell me Chloe Price is scared.“

“As if. Chloe Price isn’t scared. I‘ll show you.“

With these words, Chloe began making her way down the branch. When she had almost reached the roof, she slipped. When Max caught her hand in hers, a slight blush crept onto her face: _ˋMy hand in hers feels... so natural, so good, and so right. Ugh. Get it together, Price.´_

Trying to calm her mind and hide her blush, she pulled herself up onto the roof: “Thanks Max.“

Then she climbed through the window and closed it behind her.

When she turned around, Max sat on her queen-sized bed, similar in size to Chloe‘s own, and smiled at her: “Well, Price. Welcome to my domain.“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yes, I like that quote. I had to use it. Sue me 😉


	4. Comfort at night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. First of all, I‘m hella sorry for the delay (you, the one I promised it to for earlier today, especially to you). And sorry that it didn’t get any longer, didn’t know what to add, and didn’t want to get any further in this chapter.
> 
> After this one, I can’t guarantee how fast updates will come. I have the outline finished, but thanks to work and upcoming exams, I don’t know how much time for writing I‘ll have. I‘ll try to update as often as possible.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this one!

**September 29, 2012; 11:20 pm; 1119 SW 112th Street, Seattle, WA**

With these words, Max took off her pants, which immediately brought a heavy blush onto Chloe‘s face. Unfazed, Max simply lifted the covers and crawled under them.

“Uhhh.. Max? W-Where am I supposed to sle-“ Chloe tried to ask, but got her answer when Max stretched an arm out from underneath the covers and patted the other half of the bed.

“Max. A-Are you sure?“ the bluenette stammered, the blush she had just managed to wipe from her face returning onto it in full force.

Groaning, Max peeked her head out from under the covers: “Chloe. It’s late and I‘m tired as fuck. Either you get in there, or you sleep on the ground. Your choice.“

“Okay, grumpy Max. Fine.“ Chloe lifted the covers on the other side of the Max and slid under them, trying to leave a good amount of distance between her and Max. The red-head simply turned away from Chloe, and in just a few moments, her breathing evened out, indicating that she had fallen asleep.

Now completely left to herself, the bluenette took a closer look at the room of her... she wasn’t sure what Max was to her. Before this day, Max has been the former best friend who had abandoned her. Now, her feelings concerning the younger girl next to her were... a mess, to put it mildly.

At first, the source of light in the room caught her attention: A bunch of lanterns, hung up on the wall over the bed, bathing the room in soft light. _ˋSo hipster. Figures that she‘d have something like them in her room. Her old self is still visible, but she clearly has changed.´_ Chloe mused to herself before continuing to look around. At the wall on the left from the bed stood a wooden desk, facing the window. It was covered in an insane amount of papers, magazines, and other things.

 _ˋHah!´_ , the bluenette smiled to herself, _ˋshe‘s just as bad at keeping order like I am.´_

Then her gaze hit the walls of the room. On the one to the left and right and across from the bed, she saw various band posters and graffitis, that could have easily been taken from her own room: _ˋCaulfield, you are getting more and more of a mystery. First your clothes and your hair, and now this. How have these years been for you?´_

When her gaze finally landed on the wall above the bed and she mustered it closer, her eyes got wet and tears slowly made their way down her cheeks, while a small smile crept onto her face: “Max“ she breathed out into the silent dark room.

 _ˋI... What the fuck? This... this whole wall is practically only pictures she took of us before dad died and she left... no, was forced to leave. I thought she had dumped me and moved on from me. But, she didn‘t´_.

Then, her gaze fell onto the picture right above the younger girl‘s head, who was sleeping soundly, snoring slightly. With great caution, as to not wake her, Chloe took the picture off the wall. She mustered it. It was a selfie they had taken when they had dressed up as pirates, Max with a black eye patch and Chloe with the Captain‘s Hat on her head. She felt that the photo was wet, probably stained with years of tears.

 _ˋFuck. I feel like shit. I accused her of having dumped me, of having ruined my life. But, it... it seems like it was just as hard for her as it was for me._ ´

She looked at the younger girl, guilt written onto her face. “I‘m so fucking sorry, Max.“

Soon, she felt the emotional weight of this day drag her down, and she fell asleep.

——————————

**September 30, 2012; 2:45am; 1119 112th SW Street, Seattle, WA**

Chloe awoke from something hitting her in the back.

“What the hell?!“ she exclaimed, sitting up and looking around for the cause of the sudden interruption of her sleep. Then, she noticed the girl next to her whimpering and thrashing her arms. Max had curled into a ball, the covers kicked down to the end of the bed. She was wailing her arms in front of her face, seemingly trying to protect herself, whimpering “M-Mom, p-please, s-s-stop! D-Dad, d-do something! H-Help me! P-Please!“

 _ˋWhat the fuck?!´_ Chloe thought to herself. Before she had the chance to think about it, she pulled the red-head into her own body, putting her arms around her, trying to comfort her: “Max. It’s me, it’s Chloe. You’re safe. No one is gonna hurt you.“ Chloe kept on whispering sweet nothings into the red-head‘s ear, wishing for Max‘s nightmare to end as fast as possible.

After a few minutes, Max‘s nightmare seemed to be over. The younger girl nestled her face into the crook of Chloe‘s neck, wrapping her arms and legs around the bluenette.

When she mustered the girl‘s body, tightly wrapped around her own, she saw the inside of Max‘s left arm and wrist. What she saw shocked her. The whole skin in that part of Max‘s body was covered in cuts in different states of healing, some already evolved into scars, others still relatively fresh.

Chloe tightened her hold on Max, burying her face in the younger girl’s hair to muffle the sound of her cries: “What has happened to you, Max? What was your nightmare about? I‘m so sorry, Max.“

With her face buried in Max‘s hair, Chloe followed Max back into the land of sleep, but her sleep was a light one, to be there as soon as Max might need her.


	5. Morning talk I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. Me again!  
> Thank you to everyone who has commented, bookmarked, kudo-ed, or simply read.
> 
> I hope this one is at least a bit enjoyable!  
> Stuff is still exhausting me, but one train ride and one insomnia attack resulted in this.
> 
> I hope I at least somewhat did this issue justice.
> 
> P.S.: This is part of a series now. I‘m thinking about writing some kind of sequel, once this one is finished.
> 
> P.P.S.: This one went faster than I thought it would. The date of the next update is for now unknown.

**September 30, 2012; 07:30am; 1119 SW 112th Street, Seattle, WA**

When the morning sun hit her right in the face, Chloe groaned and tried to roll away from it to catch a few more winks. However, when she tried, she felt that there was something restricting her from moving. “For fuck‘s sake!“ she grumbled to herself, before she reluctantly opened her eyes to find out what exactly restricted her from moving. What she found then had her slack-jawed and her mouth hang open in awe.

Max‘s head was laying on her chest, her red hair shielding her face from the sun like a curtain, glowing in its light. Her lips were slightly parted, a tiny drop of drool at the corner of her mouth. The younger girl had her legs wrapped around Chloe‘s waist, and her arms were linked behind her back.

The bluenette felt another strong rush of love and adoration for the red-head shooting through her, bringing a small smile onto her face, and she couldn’t stop herself from planting a small kiss on top of Max‘s head.

In this moment, everything felt... okay, for the first time in... she couldn’t even remember how long. She had Max back in her arms. Her Max, whom she had believed she had lost years ago.

Deciding that it would be extremely cruel to wake the sleeping girl, she decided to just watch the sun rise and enjoy the feeling of closeness.

————————

**September 30, 2012; 09:00 am; **1119 SW 112th Street, Seattle, WA****

Slowly, Max stirred. She felt her head laying on a soft pillow, and tried to bury her face deeper into it, not yet wanting to actually wake up. When she did so, she heard someone chuckle from above her: “Enjoying my boobs, aren’t we, Caulfield?“

Lifting her head, Max saw that it had been laying on Chloe‘s chest, right on her left boob. Then she realized that she was tightly wrapped around the older girl. And said older girl was only in her bra and panties. A slight blush crept onto her face, but she didn’t let go, as she asked: “Uh, Chloe? Care to tell me why exactly I am wrapped around your body. And my head was laying on your... boob?“

The bluenette‘s smile wavered, and a partly sad, partly worried expression crept onto her face. Yet, she didn’t answer Max. “Chloe?“ Max asked again, “could you please tell me what happened last night?“

Chloe turned her head back to face Max: “M-Max“ she started, stammering, struggling to keep herself together, “you had a nightmare. You seemed to be trying to p-pr-protect yourself from something or someone. A-And you were begging your mom to stop, and your dad to stop her and help you.“ Chloe laid back down, pulling Max with her, who laid her head on her shoulder: “Max“ Chloe whispered, stroking over the inside of the younger girl‘s left arm, feeling the scarred skin under her fingers, “what the fuck has happened to you?“

Max rolled out of Chloe‘s hold, who followed her with her eyes. “H-Hey. If you... don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay.“

Max turned back to Chloe, a sad smile on her face: “Chlo. Wait a sec, okay? I...I just need something.“ With that, she went to her desk, and, after rummaging through various drawers, produced a lighter and two joints: “You want one? Cause I know I can’t talk about this without one of these?“

“Sure“ Chloe replied. She scooted back until her back rested against the wall. Max handed her one of the joints, then laid back, her head now on Chloe‘s thighs. They both lit them up and took a first drag.

“Well“ Max began, watching the smoke make its way up when she exhaled, “where do I start? After you had kicked me out of your room, and as it seemed, out of your life, I was really fucking miserable after me and my parents arrived here.“ She heard a choked sob from above her. Chloe had her eyes scrunched closed, tears leaking out of them. Max sat up, took the older girl’s joint out of her hand, and pulled Chloe into a hug, the older girl‘s head coming to a rest in the crook of her neck.

“M-Max“ Chloe sobbed into her, “I-I‘m so sorry. I-“

“Hey“ Max cut her off, her hands stroking the bluenette‘s back, “You were in a lot of pain, Chlo. You had just lost your dad. You weren’t thinking clearly. And I understand that it hurt you a lot that I had to leave. For me it was the same. Leaving you was terrible. But, Chloe, I‘m not mad at you. Not anymore.“ She pulled back, smiling at Chloe. “Okay?“

Chloe nodded weakly, but eventually calmed down. They laid down next to each other, unconsciously intertwining their hands. Max brought her joint back to her lips and took another drag before she continued: “As I said. After arriving here, I was miserable. In school, I stayed to myself. Of course, the other kids picked up on that, and made it a habit of theirs to push me around whenever they wanted. Here, at home, things didn’t go that great either. After dad had gotten promoted a few months after we had gotten here, he was always working late. My parents‘ relationship suffered from that. Vanessa didn’t take it really well. She started drinking excessively, almost every night. When she was like that, I was afraid to be around her.“ Max‘s hands started to tremble. Chloe took them in her own, giving the red-head a reassuring smile. “One night, about two years ago, Vanessa was fucking drunk, and I-I just couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to g-get out. B-But-“ By now, tears were streaming down her face. Chloe pulled her body into her own. “Take your time, Max. We don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to.“ she whispered into hear ear, while trying to keep her own tears, tears of sadness and anger, at bay.

After a few minutes, Max‘s sobs had calmed down to occasional sniffles. She left her head where it was laying on Chloe‘s shoulder. “T-That night“ she started again, voice still trembling, “she caught me when I tried to sneak out and... hit me for the first time.“

—————————

**August 11, 2010; 11:00pm; 1119 SW 112th Street, Seattle, WA**

Max could hear Vanessa shouting around downstairs, obviously drunk out of her mind once again. This time however, she made a decision: _ˋI can’t stand listening to this anymore. I need to get out of here.´_ She slipped out of her pajamas, putting on shorts and a tank top. Then, she opened her room‘s window and sat down on the window sill, trying to figure out how to get downstairs. While she was thinking, she didn’t hear Vanessa enter her room. Only when a hand locked around her arm she realized she wasn’t alone in her room. Vanessa pulled at her arm with brutal force, yanking Max back into the room, making her fall onto the floor with a thud and a painfilled cry.

When Max opened her eyes again, Vanessa hovered over her, face twisted in anger: “Where the fuck do you think you were going, huh? Think you’re too good for this house? Well, let me tell you something. You are not. What are you, besides a pathetic little baby? I‘m ashamed to have you as my daughter.“ With these words, Vanessa slapped Max, stood up, and left the room, slamming the door in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to let me know what you think with a comment!  
> Feedback and criticism welcome!


	6. Morning Talk II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. Finished my first exam of this summer 5 minutes ago, and it didn’t go that bad🥳🥳.
> 
> Sorry it took so long. I couldn’t find as much time to work on it as I wanted. And I felt unhappy with my draft, so some kind people volunteered to beta-read it.  
> Also, part of what Max describes hits close to home for me, so that was kinda hard to write.
> 
> Huge ‘thank you!‘ to [Vertiser](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vertiser) (also for the mention on Twitter), [DanielHugoGray](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanielHugoGray), [TripleB851](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TripleB851/) and [Zeitgeist82](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeitgeist82) for their feedback on my draft.  
> Check out their amazing works!
> 
> After this, the next update won’t come before mid-August (I‘ve planned sometime between the 16th and 22nd).

**September 30, 2012; 09:20 am; **1119 SW 112th Street, Seattle, WA****

While Max had told Chloe about this, the bluenette had unconsciously tightened her hold on Max even more, pulling her body further into her own. Her jaw was clenched shut, teeth gritting together. When Max finished, she buried her face into Chloe‘s shoulder, trembling slightly.

“You must be fucking kidding me. I swear, when I see this fucking bitch I‘ll smash her fucking face!“ Chloe muttered to herself before she buried her face in Max‘s hair, bringing her mouth close to the red-head‘s ear: “I‘m so sorry Max. I had no idea that shit was this bad for you.“

Max twisted, still laying on Chloe. She turned her head, looking at Chloe upside down, a sad smile on her face: “It’s not your fault, Chlo.“ She grabbed her joint again, bringing it to her lips: “Anyways. After this happened for the first time, I told my dad about it. But he didn’t give a shit. He just told me that, if she had done it, I probably did something to deserve it. He told me to stop doing stuff that would put Vanessa on edge to stop this from happening.“

Chloe gasped in surprise: “The fuck?!“ she whispered, “I mean I always knew Vanessa was the way stricter one of your parents, but wasn’t Ryan always protecting us from her wrath when we were kids?“

Max gave a sad chuckle: “Yeah, well. As you can see, a lot of of stuff has changed since I had to leave you.“ She stared at her joint for several seconds: “After dad had told me to stop doing things that would cause Vanessa to snap, I stayed to myself at home too. However, she didn’t stop. She always found something to explode and hit me. Whether it was that my room wasn’t perfectly tidy, I hadn’t put my dishes in the dishwasher exactly the way she wanted, or something like that. With everything else going on, this really fucked with my head.“ She lifted her left arm, looking at her skin. Chloe buried her face in Max‘s hair, silently crying: “Every time she hit me, Vanessa told me that she was ashamed of me, and that I was nothing but a worthless, ungrateful, stupid piece of shit. Over time, I began to believe those words. Hearing them so often makes them a bit more powerful every time. I fight them, I fight them every day, but sometimes, they get the better of me. The weed helps, well, sometimes.“

Chloe nudged Max to roll over on her and looked into those beautiful blue eyes she felt she could lose herself in forever and be totally ok with that: “You are none of these things Max. You are an amazing person, strong, kind, who has been put through a bunch of shit you don’t deserve.“

“I wish I could see myself that way, but... I lost that faith a long time ago. But thank you for trying, Chlo.“ Max smiled at her. It wasn’t a genuine smile like when they were kids, one of those with which Max‘s whole face lit up. Chloe loved this smile, and decided she’d do just about everything to see it again. The wish to kiss Max ran through her mind yet again. _ˋLook at her. She‘s been through so much, yet she’s still so beautiful. I wish I could show her how much she matters. But I don’t want to take advantage of her in this terrible state.´_

Chloe shook her head to clear her mind. “So. Now that we’ve established that my life went downhill, how have you been these last few years?“ Max asked her.

„Didn’t have it as bad as you. So, it doesn’t really matter.“ Chloe mumbled, shoulders slouching, turning her face away from Max.

Max took Chloe‘s chin in her hand and turned the bluenette‘s face back to her. “Hey“ she said with a stern voice and a determined look in her eyes, “the fact that I‘ve been through some bad shit doesn’t mean that your life is irrelevant.“ Her gaze softened: “It matters to me, Chloe. So, please, tell me.“

“Ugh, fine.“ Chloe relented, “but only because it’s you.“

Max gave her an encouraging smile.

“Well, at home things have become... pretty shitty. At first, after dad died and you left, I was fucking angry at Mom all the time. I blamed her for wanting a ride that day. I told her that dad was dead because of her. I feel really bad for that now.“

Max squeezed her head, smiling reassuringly: “Hey, you lost two of the people closest to you in only a few days. I still remember in what a terrible state you were, and I don’t think anyone your age would have been able to act rationally.“

“Thanks Max. Things seemed to get a bit better, I had stopped shouting at her all the time. But then she met David. Ex-military jackass who is all about authority. He always talks down on me and wants to enforce all kinds of stupid rules. And when I violate one of them, he always lectures me about me having to respect him because he served in the army and shit, about me needing a father figure again. Naturally, he sees himself fit to fill that role. He moved in after some time, and that meant it was like that all the time. Which is why I spent less and less time at home.“

“What the fuck?! And Joyce just lets that happen?“ Max asked incredulously.

“Pretty much. When David and I bicker with each other, she tells me to stop and do what David says pretty much every time. I mean, I guess she just wants us to be a family, but she doesn’t see that it can’t work out with David acting like this all the time. Look at me, getting all reflective and shit.“ she tried to joke.

“Yeah. Besides home, I was pretty much a social outsider. The girl with the dead dad. It seemed like they didn’t know what to do with me. I had stopped caring about school, skipped classes a lot. Got me into some trouble with Joyce too. Kinda had a thing with one of the guys there. His name was Eliot. Think he had a major crush on me. Was very nice and friendly at first, but when he didn’t get enough attention from me, he turned full-on stalker psycho. But don’t worry, he didn’t hurt me.“ She sighed reminiscently, giving Max the most reassuring smile she could muster.

“Then I met Rachel. One night, I was out to catch a show in an old mill, outside of town. I went onto the top floor to get a better view when two assholes came up there to rough me up. She came out of nowhere and saved my ass. Knocked one guy out with a bottle to the head. It was fucking amazing. Next day, we skipped school together and found a junkyard on the northern end of Arcadia Bay, which eventually became our usual hang-out place. Then, we went through some other crazy shit together.“

 _ˋSounds like she was there for Chloe when I couldn’t. I‘m kinda grateful to her.´_ Max thought.“She seems to be really important to you.“

“Yea.“ Chloe replied, her expression turning pained. “We... we grew really close. She was pretty much my whole world. I would have done just about anything for her. But, being the amazing actress she is, it turns out she also just acted like I mattered to her. Yesterday, she told me we couldn’t hang out because she had to do some stuff for a show with her drama class, so I decided to stack up on weed while she was gone. But when I went to Frank, Arcadia Bay‘s resident dealer, she was there. In his RV. Half-naked. I still can’t believe this actually happened. The only one I cared about, stabbing me right in the back.“

“What the hell? How could she do that to you?“ Max whispered in shock.

“Yep, I asked myself that same question. After I had found them, I just wanted to get as far away from there as possible. So I jumped into my truck, drove out of town, and... I guess I eventually ended up here.“

“That’s awful, Chloe. I‘m so sorry about what happened to you.“ Max said, her voice heavy with sadness.

“Hey, at least I wasn’t completely alone all the time, and haven’t been hit by my own mother. Your shit is way worse than mine, so, don’t bother worrying about me.“

“Hey!“ Max almost shouted, sitting up next to Chloe, tears leaking out of her eyes. “I worry about you! I‘ve thought about you all the time, you idiot! I never stopped caring about you! I... Ah fuck it. I never stopped loving you!“

Chloe was stunned. _ˋWhat? What did she just say? She... still loves me? After what I did to her?´_

 _“_ Do you know what is the only thing that kept me going on some days?! I was hoping that, maybe, some day, I would see you again. To finally tell you how I really feel.“

“Max, I..I-“ Chloe tried to formulate a reply, but was cut short by Max placing her lips on her own.


End file.
